Love is a Burning Thing
by MyFriendsCallMeKatniss
Summary: Katniss Everdeen has been crushing on Peeta Mellark ever since she first laid eyes on him. Soon after they're paired up in science, Katniss becomes known as The Girl on Fire and this fire is real.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games or Love** **Story **

I put a green t-shirt over my camisole and pull on my leather ankle boots. _Just another day gazing at Peeta Mellark,_ I think. I've been crushing on him since I was 5 years old. _I'm just Katniss Everdeen, another face in the crowd._ I snap back to reality when my little sister Prim walks in. "Kat, were you thinking about Peeta?" she queries. For a 12 year old, she's wise and she can read me like a book.

"Maybe," I tell her, turning away to hide my smile.

"You stink at lying," she laughs. "You've been crushing on him forever so you should just ask him out."

"What time is it?" I ask, eager to get away from the subject.

"7:30," she answers. "I'm going to head to the bus stop."

"Have a good day, Little Duck," I say as I hug her.

"You too."

She turns and jogs out of my room before calling, "Ask him, Katniss." I groan in response. I pull my hair into its braid and sit on my bed. I have to leave for the bus in 30 minutes. My mom had an early shift at the hospital so I don't have to do any chores.

Before I know it, it's 8:00 and I'm making my way to the bus stop. As always, I hear the bus before I see it. The engine roars and I see the boxy yellow front turn the corner towards me. As soon as it stops, I hop on and drop into my seat. I stare out the grimy window at the blur of green and brown that is the forest. I long to be there, climbing trees and frolicking through leaves. I yearn for the sounds of birds singing and squirrels scampering. Turns out, I'm on a rickety old bus heading to Panem High School. At least I'll get to see Peeta and maybe even talk to him.

I slide into my chair in science and pull my materials out. I see a flash of blonde hair and Peeta slips into the seat next to me. _He's sitting next to me! _I think. My heart feels like it's beating a million miles a minute. I glance over to find him staring at me. My tongue feels heavy and I can't seem to get a word out. I hear the bell's automated tone and begins to speak. "We are starting a project…." He drones on for about 5 minutes before I hear the word "partners". He reads names from a list and finally I hear mine. "Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark." I stifle a gasp and hide an idiot grin. I look straight forward as he finishes assigning and we move to sit with our partners.

"Hi," Peeta says with that award winning grin.

"Hi," I murmur, turning my desk to face his. We start talking about the project and I end up laughing my head off as he jokes about some guy in a bar. tells us to wrap it up and we do as we are told.

"Can I ride the bus to your house today?" Peeta asks. I'm very taken aback by this. Peeta Mellark wants to come to _my_ house?

"Sure," I blurt out before my tongue can get tied again.

"I'll meet you in the bus loop," he calls, walking down the hall.

The rest of the day drones on and I can't wait for the final bell. Surprisingly, I'm not nervous. I'm trying to contain my ecstasy in Study Hall when Peeta sits down next to me. I look around and see plenty of other seats. _Why is he sitting with me?!_ I wonder. "Hi," he whispers. "Hey," I whisper back. I've just started reading when a paper drops into my textbook. _Do you want to go out? –Peeta_, it reads. I glance up to see him staring at me. I start to write yes but I think that may seem a little desperate. I end up writing "sure" in my attempt at nonchalant handwriting. After he reads it, he looks up and grins at me and I can't help but smile back. Now I'm super fired up for tonight.

I see Peeta waiting for me in the bus loop. I jog over to him and he kisses me on the cheek. My heart starts with that crazy fast beating again. "Hey," he greets me.

"Hi," I murmur back, still a bit shocked from the kiss. I lead him to where my bus is stopped and we get on and sit in my seat. In about 7 minutes, the bus will leave and we'll be on our way to my house. I can feel Peeta staring at me as we wait. I look at him and he begins to talk. "Who are some of your friends?" he asks.

"I don't have friends," I mutter.

"No friends? But you're so nice and not to mention beautiful." He sounds genuinely surprised and I feel a blush creep to my cheeks.

"I'm not beautiful or nice. People think I'm weird," I tell him.

"Stop it. You are gorgeous and kind and definitely not weird." I hear the engine bellow as the bus starts up. I feel his head leaning closer to mine and I look into his dazzling blue eyes.

"Stop lying," I whisper. Me putting myself down seems to make him more bold and determined but that isn't why I said it. I hate when people lie to me. I can't deal with it. My thought gets cut off when I feel Peeta's warm lips press against mine. After a moment, he pulls back and smiles at me. I reciprocate the smile and feel him take my hand. For today, all thoughts against myself are gone. I feel blissful; I'm Peeta Mellark's science partner, I'm going on a date with Peeta Mellark, and I just kissed Peeta Mellark in a relatively public place. I think about these things on the bus ride home.

After about 30 minutes, we're almost at my stop. "We get off at the next stop," I inform Peeta.

"Alrighty then," he says, smiling down at me. I notice our fingers are still intertwined and I don't think Peeta has any intention of letting go. As the bus lurches to a stop, Peeta and I walk up the aisle and step off the bus. We walk to my house and I pull the door open. We start toward the kitchen to get a snack. "You're holding hands." I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear Prim's voice. Our hands instantly pull away and this makes me annoyed with Prim. "Prim, don't do that!" I order her. Peeta's face has turned red and I feel horrible. That's when Prim turns to him. "Hi Peeta!" she says, as if she were an angel.

"Um, hi," he responds with a confused look on his face. Prim must notice because she quickly explains.

"Katniss talks about you _all_ the time." Now it was my turn to blush.

"Out, Prim," I growl. She huffs and stalks out. "I'm very sorry, Peeta."

"Little sister?" He had returned to his normal, un-awkward self again.

"Yes." He moves towards me and takes my hand once again. "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever is fine," he says.

"Don't whatever me Peeta Mellark!" I laugh, failing my attempt to feign sternness.

"I like it when you smile," Peeta tells me, staring at my face. "You should do it more often."

"Well, not a lot of stuff makes me smile," I inform him.

"What's making you smile right now?" he asks me.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, Kat, I really want to know." My name sounds sweet on his lips and my smile returns.

"You. You're making me smile." I see the shock on his face but it is soon exchanged for the sweetest smile I've ever seen on anyone's lips. He presses his forehead against mine and caresses my cheek. That's when he grabs me. Before I know it I'm swung over his shoulder and he's carrying me and our school stuff up the stairs. "Peeta!" I squeal. "Put me down!"

"Never!" he responds. I see Prim looking at us from the first step and I grin at her. She grins right back and I can see her face light up. Prim has been waiting to meet Peeta since I told her about my crush on him and I motion for her to follow us up.

"Peeta, Prim's gonna get you!" I yell. He swivels his head around and grins.

"You can't catch me!" he tells her.

"You wanna bet?" I hear the challenge in her voice. I tell Peeta to turn right and we head into my room with Prim in hot pursuit. He sets me down on the bed as gently as possible and drops our school stuff. Prim sits on the floor in front of us and I begin to formally introduce them. "Prim, this is Peeta, my…" I stop not sure what to say.

"Um, boyfriend?" he supplies. _He wants to be my boyfriend?_ I thought. _Yes! _

"Yes, boyfriend," I say. "Peeta this is Prim, my sister."

"Nice to meet you," Peeta greets her.

"It's nice to _finally_ meet you, too," Prim sighs. "I've been waiting for _such_ a long time. Like, yea-"

I cut her off. "Ok, Prim. You can go now."

"I'll leave you two to your business." She says it like she made the decision herself. I shut my door behind her and Peeta raises his eyebrows.

"You talk about me?" he questions.

"Well, you're hard not to talk about," I notify him. "We need to start working on our project. It's 5 o'clock."

We work for about 2 hours, finishing up a few other assignments along with our project.

"Finally," Peeta says, stretching his arms.

"Do you want to stay for a bit?" I ask him. _Please let him stay,_ I silently pray.

"You think I'd pass up such a convenient opportunity to spend time with you?" he asks. "I'll stay for an hour or so."

"Good. My mom can drive you home then." I move to sit next to him on my carpeted floor. He seems to think we still aren't close enough and closes the gap between us. He puts his strong arm around my shoulder and looks into my dull grey eyes.

"You have beautiful eyes," he murmurs.

I snort. "Yours are the beautiful ones, not mine."

"Katniss, no more putting yourself down. You need to realize that you are a beautiful girl. In fact, you're the most attractive girl I've ever met. But that's not the main reason I like you. I like you because you have a good heart and I'm drawn to you like a moth to a light." I don't have his way with words so I just put my hand on his cheek and stroke his face. I feel him lean into my touch and we sit like that for a few minutes. Peeta then turns so we face each other and he pulls me into his arms. I put my head against his chest and I'm enveloped in his warmth. I curl up against him and feel more calm than I ever have before. Peeta strokes my hair daintily and my fingers draw invisible swirls across his sky blue t-shirt. "Do you sing?" he asks, fiddling with the end of my braid.

"I used to sing to Prim when she had nightmares. Why?"

"Your voice is so lulling. Will you sing for me?"

I look up into those comforting blue eyes and know I could never say no. "What do you want me to sing?"

"Anything you want to," he murmurs.

"We were both young when I first saw you  
I close my eyes  
And the flashback starts  
I'm standing there  
On a balcony in summer air

See the lights  
See the party, the ball gowns  
See you make your way through the crowd  
And say hello, little did I know

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
And I was crying on the staircase  
Begging you please don't go, and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes

So I sneak out to the garden to see you  
We keep quiet cause we're dead if they knew  
So close your eyes  
Escape this town for a little while

Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
But you were everything to me  
I was begging you please don't go and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes

Romeo save me, they're tryin' to tell me how to feel  
This love is difficult, but it's real  
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess  
It's a love story baby just say yes

Oh oh

I got tired of waiting  
Wondering if you were ever coming around  
My faith in you was fading  
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone  
I keep waiting for you but you never come  
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think  
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said

Marry me Juliet  
You'll never have to be alone  
I love you and that's all I really know  
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress  
It's a love story baby just say yes

Oh, oh,  
Oh, oh  
Cause we were both young when I first saw you..."

"That was beautiful," Peeta chokes out. Was he going to cry?

"Please don't cry, Peeta," I plead. He seems to be trying to pull himself together.

"I won't. Can I kiss you now?" he asks. I pull myself up with my arms around his neck.

"Why would you want to kiss me?" I wonder aloud.

"Would you kiss me if you had the chance?"

"If you'd let me, I would."

"Then we probably have the same reasoning," he tells me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry, I messed that up. This is the right one. Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games **

**Well, someone asked the ages of Katniss and Peeta. They're in high school. Does anyone have a suggestion for what grade they should be in?**

"Then we probably have the same reasoning," he tells me. He leans forward until there is only about an inch in between our lips. I feel his warm breath on my face and then I'm the one to close the gap. His lips are gentle and soft and their warmth spreads through my body. His strong arms lock onto my waist and my hands rub the nape of his neck. The world around me becomes fuzzy and all I can think about is Peeta. Peeta Mellark, the boy I'd been crushing on since age 5. Peeta Mellark, the boy I'd gazed at for years. And now, Peeta Mellark, sitting in my bedroom, pressed against me, kissing me. We slowly pull back, but only a bit. He looks into my eyes and we both smile. I suddenly remember Peeta has to leave at 8:00. "Peeta, you have to leave soon," I whisper. He groans and leans forward to kiss me again. I allow this for a moment and then pull away. "I wish you could stay too but it's Thursday. It's a school night." I tell him.

"Can I come back tomorrow?" he asks, his blue eyes pleading.

"Of course you can. Now get up," I would pull him up but he is holding onto me too tightly. I don't mind but Peeta has to leave. As we stand up, his arms remain on my waist and my hands settle on his shoulders. I give him a peck on the lips and pull his arms from me. I intertwine our fingers and we start down the stairs.

"Mom, can you take Peeta home?" I call.

"Sure, one minute," she yells back. Peeta and I sit on the couch while we wait. We whisper sweet nothings and she finally appears. I kiss Peeta and we say goodnight. I hope she doesn't say anything too embarrassing on their way to his house.

30 minutes later, I hear the door shut and jog over to my mother.

"He's a nice boy, honey," she says. "He really cares about you."

"Did you embarrass him?" I query.

"No, we just talked about you. He loves the topic."

"Well, goodnight," I say, hugging her.

"Goodnight, sweetie," she calls as I jog up the carpeted stairs.

The next morning, I wake up and put on the nicest shirt I can find. It's grey and white and my mother always says it compliments my eyes, which Peeta seems to love. I put on my nicest jeans and shine my boots. Prim walks in and notices my nice appearance. "Ooh, you must really like him," she giggles.

"Do I look alright?" I ask anxiously.

"You look great. Let my braid your hair," she volunteers.

"Thanks, Prim," I whisper.

"I just like seeing you happy," she says with a grin.

"Was I unhappy before?" I wonder aloud.

"Sometimes. You just... looked like you needed someone," she told me.

"Oh."

I sit down in science and get worried when we only have 1 minute until the tardy bell rings and Peeta still isn't there. Someone taps my shoulder and I jump. I see Peeta and he leans down and gives me a peck on the lips.

"Hey," he whispers in my ear.

"Hi," I say. "What's up?"

"Not much," he yawns. "I missed you."

We talk until the bell rings and sit through class, barely awake.

I slide into my seat at lunch and pull out my book. This table is always half empty and that is precisely why I sit here. Someone sits down next to me and for a moment I wonder who it is. That's when I remember I have a boyfriend. Peeta sets his tray down and starts to talk. "How was your day so far?" he asks me.

"Fine," I answer. "How about yours?"

"It would've been better if you were there," he says wistfully.

"Are you still coming over tonight?"

"Yes, yes I am," he replies. "You wanna walk to the meadow?"

"Sure," I respond.

Peeta and I step off the bus and he leans over to kiss me. I stand on my toes and we let the kiss linger a moment before continuing to walk. Prim and Mom have gone out to the mall for a while so Peeta and I are free. We head up to my room to sit for a bit. Peeta pulls me beside him onto my big bean bag chair. "When do you wanna go to the meadow?" I inquire.

"In 10 minutes or so," he responds. "Will you let your hair down?"

"Why?"

"Because it's so pretty and I wanna see it down."I'm not sure if I want my hair down but I decide I'll let it down when we get to the meadow.

30 minutes later, Peeta and I are in the meadow. We lay down the blue and white swirled blanket and sit. Peeta reminds me about my hair and I tell him he can take it down if he really wants to. I feel his gentle fingers fastidiously undoing my braid and my hair is soon down. I turn so I'm facing Peeta and he pulls me to him. I curl up in the crook of his arm with his hands running through my hair. "Katniss?" I hear Peeta whisper.

"Yes, Peeta?" I whisper back.

"Will you sing?"

"Sure."

"Thank you, Kat."

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow  
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow  
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes  
And when you awake, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away  
A cloak of leaves, A moonbeam ray, Forget your woes and let your troubles lay  
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from every harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you."

Peeta doesn't speak for a moment and I'm not sure what's wrong. "Peeta?" I finally whisper.

"Come here," Peeta murmurs, almost inaudibly. I scoot closer to him and look into his magnificent blue eyes.

"What's wrong, Peeta?" I put one hand on his forehead and he doesn't feel feverish. He's now lying down and he motions for me to move my head closer. Suddenly, he grins and wraps his arms around my back, pulling me down to him. He kisses me and holds me against him. "Peeta! Don't mess with me like that!" I yell.

"I'm sorry. I just really wanted to kiss you," he apologizes.

"Then just ask me! To tell the truth, I wanted to kiss you too. Try asking next time, ok?"

"Sorry, baby. Can I kiss you _now_?" he asks, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I wriggle down until I'm right up against him.

"Yes," I murmur, right into his ear. He shifts so he's a little above me and looks into my eyes. He leans forward and my eyelids flutter over my eyes. His lips cover mine and my hands slide into his hair. His hands clamp onto my waist and we gradually move into a sitting position, all without breaking the kiss. After a long while, we break apart. We notice it's getting colder and Peeta insists I have the blanket over my shoulders. Once the blanket is on me, I jump onto Peeta and cover us in the blanket together. We sit watching the sunset and start to head home. About halfway there, Peeta picks me up bridal style and only sets me down when we get to my door step. We intertwine our fingers and walk in. Prim is watching us from the living room as we walk to the kitchen for some food. Her eyes flit from our clasped hands to my messy, unbraided hair. I give her the biggest smile I can muster and again, she seems happy for me.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" I ask.

"Sure," Peeta answers with a smile. "What are we eating?"

"What do you want?"

"What do _you_ want?"

"Peeta, you're my guest. You choose," I insist. "Do you want spaghetti, fried chicken, or pot roast?"

"Well, I'm sort of leaning towards spaghetti," Peeta tells me.

"Good. That's what I wanted." I turn to yell up the stairs to my mom. "Mom, Peeta's staying for dinner. Can you make some spaghetti?"

"I'll get right on it," she calls. Prim jogs in.

"Peeta, what do you do for fun?" she asks.

"I draw and bake," he responds. "My parents own a bakery."

"You should draw Katniss," she says. He suddenly turns as red as a tomato.

"I, um, already have," he says.

"Prim, you can talk to Peeta at dinner. Can you wait until then?" I ask teasingly. She sticks her tongue out at me and walks out. "Let's go to my room," I suggest to Peeta. He follows me up the stairs and we sit in my bean bag chair, just like earlier that afternoon. He kisses my cheek and I notice his blush is just starting to fade. "So you drew me yesterday?" I question.

"Well, I've actually been working on that drawing for quite a long time," he confesses, looking down.

"Why would you draw some random person?" I wonder aloud.

"I've actually been crushing on you since we were 5." I gape at him. He's been crushing on me too?

"Aw, Peeta, that's so sweet! To be honest, I've been crushing on you since I first saw you." That's when he meets my eyes.

"Y-you have?" he stutters.

"Yes," I whisper. His face dips toward mine and he puts one hand on my neck and one hand on the small of my back and he kisses me. My hands run through his hair as he pulls me closer to him and I feel his warmth seep into me. I want this moment to last forever. I can tell Peeta really cares about me and I'm falling for him fast. When we finally pull away, he cups my face in his hands and strokes my cheek. I rub his sides and chest. I then remember dinner will be ready soon. "Dinner will be done soon," I mumble reluctantly. He kisses me on the lips once before pulling me up. I hear my mother calling us and we hurry down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, don't review and tell mehow cheesy parts of this chapter were. This is where the real conflict starts!**

As the food is served and we say grace, I realize Peeta is more comfortable then I could ever be with a group of people that were practically strangers to me. "I hear that your family owns a bakery," my mom says.

"Yes," he confirms. "I work there, baking bread and decorating cakes."

"Katniss absolutely _loves_ cheese buns," Prim informs him.

"Good to know," Peeta says thoughtfully. "What do you like to do, Prim?"

"Watch soap operas and live vicariously through other peoples' love lives," I say before she can speak.

"And show the beauty Katniss has but won't admit to," she adds.

"See, Kat? _She_ agrees with me," Peeta says, looking at me.

"Just shut up," I groan.

"I have an idea!" Prim yells suddenly. "I'll go enhance Katniss's beauty and Peeta can talk to Mom!"

"What? No- Prim!" I protest as she pulls me towards the stairs. Peeta and Mom just chuckle as Prim drags me up the stairwell to my bedroom. "Prim! What are we doing?"

"I can tell Peeta wants to see you in a dress so we're going to put you in one."

"I don't have a dress," I counter.

"You can wear one of Mom's." That girl is stubborn. She runs to our mother's room and soon reappears with a small blue dress. It has ruffled sleeves that go down to the elbow and it looks like it'll reach somewhere around my knees. "Change." Prim orders, turning around and covering her eyes. I peel my other clothes off and slip the dress on.

"I'm done," I tell Prim. She turns around and beams at me. She lets out a girly squeal and I laugh.

"Now it's time for hair and makeup," Prim says.

"Make it quick," I groan, sitting on my bed. She combs my hair and does something with it but won't let me see until she finishes everything else. She applies makeup that she claims will only improve my natural beauty. She finally leads me over to the mirror and I gawk at the girl standing there. She looks like some sort of goddess of Spring. She _is_ beautiful. "That can't be me," I stammer.

"It is," she validates, heaving me towards the stairs. "Now that I've seen your reaction, I can't wait to see Peeta's!"

Prim leads me down the stairs and I don't even have time to become nervous. As we step into the dining room, I hear Peeta gasp. Prim and I stare at him, trying to gauge his reaction. His astonished look is soon replaced with a delighted grin. Once again, I catch his infectious smile. He grabs me in his arms and twirls me around. I see Mom and Prim's faces light up as I giggle for the first time in many years. "Can you pick Prim up on your back?" I whisper in Peeta's ear as he sets me down. He nods and my smile widens. I know he's strong and it's been hard for my family since my Dad died in the mines so I want Prim to have some male figure in her life. I whisper to Prim, telling her to hop onto Peeta's back. "But you were having such a good time," she mumbles, but I know she wants the piggy back ride.

"Peeta and I can do something in my room," I mutter. I grab Prim in my arms and set her on Peeta's back. He parades her in circles around the house until they're both exhausted. Now it's Prim's turn to whisper in Peeta's ear. Again, he nods, but this time his smile emits rays as bright as the sun. She moves over to me and tells me to jump on Peeta's back. "Prim, I'm too heavy!" I lie. I know he could carry me because of the way he has seized me in his arms on multiple occasions.

"I saw him carry you home from the meadow and he says he's picked you up plenty of other times," Prim says in a loud whisper. I blush a crimson blush as Mom raises her eyebrows at me. I smile my most angelic smile and turn back to Prim. Before I can speak, she pushes me toward Peeta and he squats to the ground. I jump onto his back and he jogs up the stairs. I drop to the ground and Peeta turns to face me. Any words about to come out of my mouth are halted when I'm pulled into Peeta's arms and he swings me down like we're dancing and kisses me. This kiss is stronger than usual, but Peeta never asks for too much. My hands grip his back and he has his arms bolted around my waist. Steadily, I'm moved into a standing position. Peeta leans against my green wall so he can support more of my weight and we slowly slide to the ground. Peeta is still holding me and I'm still holding him. Our kiss breaks after a long while and I feel one of Peeta's hands move to twist a stray lock of my hair around his finger. "Katniss, would you dance with me if I asked you to?" Another one of these questions. I'll do most anything within the laws of morality with him.

"Yes."

"If I put music on from your laptop, will you dance with me?"

"Yes," I whisper. He stands, pulling me up with him. We move to my desk and he puts on some slow, lulling, classical music. He puts his hands on my waist and I put my hands on his shoulders. We dance like that for what doesn't seem like long but I look up for a moment and see my clock reads 8 p.m. I whisper Peeta's name and he follows my gaze to the clock. "I have to go soon," he murmurs, sounding sad. Then an idea strikes me like a bolt of lightning so suddenly, my head shoots away from Peeta's chest. He looks down at me with concern. "What's wrong?" he asks.

"Do you wanna stay in our guest room?" I inquire. He grins at me.

"Let me call my mother," he says, pulling his phone from his pocket. I hear him ask and she says yes. I tell my mom and she doesn't mind. Peeta and I dance awhile longer and then we sit on my bed. I start feeling tired and yawn. Peeta tells me I need to change and steps out. When I tell him it's okay to come in, he opens the door and plops back onto my bed. He quickly looks over my gym shorts and tank top and I yawn again. We play whatever movie happens to be in my computer and start to watch. I'm satisfied when I see the Austrian mountains and realize it's The Sound of Music. I turn the light out for the theater effect and I curl up beside Peeta.

A little while later, I hear the door creak open. Peeta seems to think I'm asleep and so does my mother, who was the one who opened the door. I feel Peeta motion to me cuddled up against his side and I guess my mother just nods. She murmurs her goodnights and as soon as the door closes I open my eyes and look up at Peeta. "Peeta," I whisper. He looks down at me and the mischief must be evident on my face because he just chuckles, kisses my forehead, and pulls me closer to him. I actually do fall asleep after this and Peeta and I lay like that, unmoving in a peaceful slumber, all night.

* * *

Peeta and I have been dating for 2 months now. It's been amazing to have someone to talk to and spend time with. Peeta comes over a lot and he stays for dinner at least once a week. This morning, I was just laying in my bed thinking about this when Peeta steps into my room. "Peeta? Why are you in my house?" I ask him.

"I just wanted to spend a little time with you before school," he tells me. He scoops me up in his arms and we sit on the bed.

"Okay," I reply. He kisses my cheek and looks into my eyes with a smile. We lace our fingers together and start towards my door when I realize I need to change my clothes. I tell Peeta this and he steps out of my bedroom to stand in the hallway. I pull on my dark wash jeans and an orange t-shirt. I slide on my boots and pull my jacket over my shoulders. I step out to Peeta and as soon as we get downstairs, he hands me a cheese bun. He's been bringing me these since Prim told him they were my favorite. "Thank you," I say through a mouthful. He just chuckles and stares at my face. "Why do you always stare at me?" I inquire.

"Because you are stunningly beautiful," he murmurs.

"And _you_ are inhumanly handsome," I say. And he is. His wavy blonde hair falls at perfect angles around his face and his blue eyes are astounding. I hear Prim walk in and I give her a hug. "I see Peeta found you," she chuckles. It dawns on me she must've been the one to let him in.

"Thank you for letting him in," I say. We go on with our morning and eventually, all 3 of us have left. Peeta and I go through school and have a fair day. Peeta comes for dinner and leaves a bit after. I go to bed and sometime around 1 a.m., I wake up to find myself sweating heavily.

The house is as hot as an oven and I open my bedroom door to check the thermostat. I am met by flames and one reaches out to lick my hand. In my surprise, I don't have time to jerk back and my hand is burnt. The flames are only on my doorframe, so I dash out. I scream to Prim and Mom to get out and grab my three most treasured possessions; a photograph of my father and I, my father's book on plants, and my mockingjay pin. I hurriedly wrap them in a towel and turn to make sure my family is leaving. I see Prim standing in her doorway and grab her elbow. We run towards our mother's room to find her coming towards us. We dash down the stairs and see the lower level of our home is filled with smog and the flames are more ample. As I hear beams crash, I shove Mom and Prim out the door. Just then, a flaming rafter hits me. I feel my shirt catch fire and my back is in unspeakable pain. I tear out the door and look around, wild eyed. I see neighbors comforting my family and they look up only when they hear my cry of pain. My shirt is still blazing and someone tells me to stop, drop, and roll. Someone moves to my side and I make out Haymitch, our alcoholic but somehow lovable neighbor. "Get Peeta," I manage to choke out before slipping out of consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

**This one is a bit short but some relatively important stuff appears here **

When I wake up, I'm surrounded by white. I realize I'm in a hospital. "Peeta," I rasp. Someone moves and soon Peeta is hovering over me.

"Katniss," he whispers, deep lines of concern etched into his face.

"Are Prim and Mom okay?" I ask, my voice gravelly.

"They're fine," he confirms. "You pushed them out, Kat."

"I know. Where are they?"

"They're in the waiting room," he answers. "Do you want me to get them?" I nod my head and he rushes out. Prim and Mom reappear but Peeta isn't with them. Tears stream down both of their faces and they smile at me. "You saved us," Mom chokes out. "They're calling you the girl on fire because when you walked out, your shirt was flaming."

"I remember. Where are we going to stay until we find a new house?" I question.

"Well, Prim and I will be staying with the Hawthornes' and you have received an invitation to stay with the Mellarks'." As my mother pauses, Prim giggles. "Whether you accept that invitation or not is your choice."

"Would you mind if I stayed at Peeta's house?" I ask.

"Of course not," my mom says.

"And Peeta can help you through your nightmares if you have them," Prim adds. I shiver at the thought of more nightmares. I've just gotten over the nightmares that occurred after my father's death.

"Do you want him to come in now?" Mom asks. I nod and all 3 of us say goodbye. When Peeta comes in, he hurries over to me. We look into each other's eyes for a moment and then the want to kiss him consumes me. With Peeta's help, I move so I'm sitting up. "Kiss me," I whisper. Peeta leans forward and gently kisses my lips. The smile that always comes after we pull away from a kiss makes a comeback and appears on both of our faces. "What kind of damage was caused?" I ask. Peeta looks down and begins to speak.

"Your left wrist was singed and your right leg has second degree burns up to your thigh. Your back has third degree burns and is badly bruised from whatever hit you," he tells me.

"A rafter fell on my back," I say. "How long will I be here?"

"A few more days," he says, finally meeting my eyes. "You'll have ointments to use and fresh bandages will be put on every day."

"I hear I'll be staying at your house." This brings a smile to both our faces. I look around to see if I'm hooked up to anything other than the oxygen machine and when I see I'm not, I scoot over and motion for Peeta to lie beside me. He grabs a pillow from the couch and sits propped up against the metallic headboard, just like me. I snuggle into him and fatigue hits me. I realize my injuries make me a lot more tired than usual and I soon fall asleep.

"Kat," someone whispers. "Kat, wake up." I grunt as I pull myself a few inches away from Peeta. "It's time to change your bandages," he says. "I'll wait outside." I nod but I don't want him to leave. His arms are so warm and comforting. They give me a sense of security. The nurse pulls the top of my hospital gown down and starts to unwrap the soiled bandages. I feel a searing pain and I clench my teeth. She applies my ointment and the pain starts to ease. The fresh bandages feel nice and soon Peeta comes in. "How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Hungry," I reply. He tells me to wait while he goes and asks the doctor if I can eat. He returns with a bowl of soup. He carefully spoons it into my mouth and the warm broth makes me feel better.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" he questions.

"Peeta, you're my boyfriend, not my manservant," I laugh. "Any word on when I get to go home?"

"Tomorrow," he says happily.

"Who will help me change my bandages and all that other stuff?"

"Since the damage was done mostly to your lower back, you can just roll your shirt up into a bikini type thing. That means either me or my mother will change them." I tug on his arm and he sits beside me again. I put my head on his chest and look up into his eyes. He brushes a few loose hairs from my face and looks right back into mine. He kisses my forehead and I nuzzle my way into his side. His strong arm wraps around me and secures me. I fall asleep but my sleep isn't dreamless. I begin to dream of the fire.

_Heat is coming at me from every direction. Flames lick my body tauntingly. I start toward my door but a fiery wall vehemently pushes me back. I feel my leg burn and feel the skin bubble up. A support beam falls on my back over and over again, as if I'm pushing the rewind button on a DVD. On the beam's last hit, it uses about double the force and I hear myself cry out._

"Shh," Peeta cooes. "It's okay, baby. You're fine. Shh." He rocks me back and forth and I begin to sob into his shirt. He kisses my head and continues to coo. My sobs turn into a slow flow of tears and my slow flow of tears turn into gasps for breath. "You're okay, Kat. Calm down, hon. You have to breath." I try to slow my rapid breathing and make it equal to Peeta's steady inhalation. Soon, my breathing is almost back to normal. "Did you have a nightmare?" Peeta asks quietly. I nod and curl into a ball against him. I'm scared to sleep so I don't. "Talk to me," I order.

"What do you want me to talk about?" he asks.

"Your favorite subject," I say.

"Well, I know what my favorite subject is," he tells me. "You."

"Peeta," I groan.

"Do you want me to lie?" he asks. I shake my head. "I didn't think so. You risked your life for your mother and sister. You worried about them before your own injuries. When you were on fire, you moved to them before collapsing. You took care of your sister when your mom shut the world out. You provided for your family even when they couldn't give anything back. You've done everything possible for them."

"You make me seem like such a great person," I sigh. "Look at the bad stuff. I screamed at my mother when she wouldn't speak. It's probably my fault the house burned and I didn't even have a backup plan for a situation like this."

"Katniss, you had reason to yell at your mother. You have no idea whose fault it is. For all we know, someone could've dropped a lit cigarette. You shouldn't be the one to have a backup; your mom should do that. Stop blaming yourself for other peoples' mistakes."

"I'm worthless but Prim and Mom have li-" I'm silenced when Peeta presses his lips to mine, holding me tightly.

"You are _not_ worthless to me, Katniss Everdeen," he whispers. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I murmur. This is where we admit our love for each other; a hospital. Me, covered in burns and bruises and Peeta, sleep deprived and sick with worry. I slip into that dreamless sleep I've been craving and wake up some time around dawn with Peeta still beside me. I remember today I get to go home. _No, not home,_ I think. _Your home is gone_. Peeta must feel me stirring against him because he wakes up, too. "Good morning, gorgeous," he whispers.

"Morning" is the only word that escapes my lips because I'm still quite tired.

"We get to leave today." He says _we_ like he had to stay through these days. I know he felt like he had to and I like having him with me.

"You didn't have to stay with me," I tell him.

"Of course I did. I would've missed you too much," he says.

"Have you been at school?" I ask.

"The night of the fire was Thursday so I only missed one day," he responds.

"Good. Have Mom and Prim gone out to buy new clothes?"

"I believe so. One of our mothers will take you once you heal some."

"To be honest, I don't really care about new clothes. What's today?"

"Sunday," he informs me.

"Do I have to go to school tomorrow?"

"You'll be off this whole week and more if needed," he says. "I'll be off some of those days to stay with you."

"You don't have to," I say, even though I really want him to stay.

"I'm staying and that's that," he says firmly. A nurse walks in and when she finds we're awake she wants to change my bandages. Peeta goes and waits outside.

"Are you excited about leaving?" the nurse asks.

"Yeah but it's going to be hard living in someone else's home," I tell her.

"I understand," she says. "I can tell Peeta really cares about you."

"I know. He's a really good person." She finishes up my bandages and hands me a baggy navy blue t-shirt and some huge khakis.

"We're going to put you in these oversized clothes so they won't hurt your burns," she informs me as another nurse walks in to help get me dressed. They scoot me to the edge of the bed and put the shirt on me. They slide the pants onto my legs as far as they can go and then I slowly stand and drop into them. They tighten the pants on my waist and I sit back down. Peeta comes in and tells me we'll leave in an hour. My mom and Prim come in to say hi.

"Hi Kat," Prim says with a smile.

"Hey Little Duck," I say. "How've you been?"

"Fine," she says. "How 'bout you?"

"A bit better," I say, turning to look at Mom. "Have you guys gone shopping?"

"Yes. Prim and I got some new things," she tells me.

"Peeta already updated me on just about everything," I say. "Will you be riding with me to his house?"

"If you want us to," she says.

"I want you to. You can tell about all my bandages and stuff," I say.

"Okay, we'll come," Mom says.

One hour later….

Peeta supports a good portion of my weight as we walk to the car. He says he would carry me if it weren't for my back. He pulls the car door open and helps me in. Prim and Mom sit in the back and Peeta drives. Within 10 minutes, we're at the Mellark residence.


	5. Chapter 5

**Not my best work but I didn't want to have this up late so here's the next chapter**

**Disclaimer:I do not own The Hunger Games**

"The only space we have for you to stay is upstairs," Peeta tells me. "Do you want me to try and carry you?" I nod. He has my mother open the door and he puts one hand on the top, uninjured part of my back and one under my legs. I put my arms around his neck and he lifts me up. We step over the threshold and make our way up the stairs. Peeta steps into a room with two twin beds and sets me on one. Just then, his parents walk in. "You must be Katniss," his mother says, offering a smile.

"The one and only," I confirm.

"We're glad to have you here," his father says. "We'll leave you to settle in." They leave and something dawns on me. This is Peeta's room. I'm staying in Peeta's room.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Peeta asks, sitting down beside me.

"No. Why am I staying in your room?" I question.

"I really wanted you to stay here and this was our only place available," he murmurs sheepishly.

"Good," I say, scooting towards him. He tells me I need to rest and I lay down. Since my bed is against the wall, I move over until I'm touching it and Peeta lies down beside me. He pulls me into his strong arms and kisses the top of my head.

He must see the tears in my eyes because next he says, "You can cry if you need to." I feel the tears that I had held in begin to flow freely. I weep against Peeta's chest and his hold on me tightens. After about 10 minutes, my tears subside.

"Kat?" Peeta whispers.

"Yeah?" I whisper back.

"I love you." This is the second time those three words have mixed together to form that sentence. I look up into his superlative blue eyes.

"I love you too." Peeta leans down and kisses me. He gently pulls me closer and I lean into his touch. After breaking apart, we fall asleep and stay that way until dinner.

A knock on the door wakes us up. "Who is it?" Peeta groans groggily.

"I have dinner," his mother says from behind the door. Peeta stumbles off the bed sleepily and I push myself into a sitting position. He opens the door and takes our plates from his mom. "Thank you," he mumbles, shutting the door in her face. He sets our plates on the desk and helps me sit up more. By the time we start eating, we're both more alert and awake. As I stick a spoonful of rice in my mouth, Peeta looks at me. "What?" I ask.

"You look so cute when you're deep in thought," he says. "What are you thinking about?"

"You," I mumble.

"Me? Why me? I'm not as great as you thin-" I cut him off by kissing him on the lips.

"If I'm not allowed to put myself down neither are you," I whisper. He just looks at me and I look back at him. We finish eating and set our plates off to the side. "What do you want to do?" Peeta asks.

"I don't know. What is there to do?" Peeta looks at me mischievously and I burst out laughing. "Peeta, stop it! Think of something different!"

"I was just joking!" he chuckles. "You wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure," I say. "What are we watching?"

"We can start Pride and Prejudice if you want," he says.

"Ok," I respond. He gets the movie on his computer and plays it. I soon slip into sleep but the nightmares come worse than before.

_Flames surround me, none further than an inch from my body. Suddenly, they all move forward and I'm engulfed in the blaze. Pain sizzles through me as my skin bubbles up. I feel my skin go from a solid to a liquid and it starts to slide off. I scream in agony and curl up into a ball._

Peeta's strong arms hold me tightly as I cry. "It was just a dream, Kat. You'll be fine. I'm right here. It's ok."

"Peeta," I choke out.

"Yes?"

"Don't leave me."

"I'm not leaving you, Katniss. I love you too much." I look up at Peeta and he presses his forehead to mine. He kisses my lips and tenderly pulls me closer. My right fingers gently brush his cheek while my left hand slips through his hair. We pull away for a split second but we both lean forward immediately after. I hear the door open and a feminine gasp but Peeta and I don't care. The door shuts again and I lean against Peeta. Now some time alone with him is almost guaranteed. Eventually, we move apart. Peeta lies down and tugs me down with him. I lay half way on top of him and he wraps his arms around me. We lay like this for a while and I start to get sleepy. "Peeta, I'm scared to go to sleep," I whisper.

"Think happy thoughts," he says. I think about Peeta and I doing fun things after I heal and taking Prim places with him and this reassures me. I go to sleep with Peeta still beside me and I have no nightmares.

I wake up to Peeta moving away from me slowly. "Go back to sleep," he whispers.

"I don't want to," I say, sitting up.

"I'm staying with you today," he tells me. "Tell me when you're ready to change your bandages and we will."

"I'm ready," I say. Peeta moves me to the edge of the bed and tells me to roll my shirt up. "Peeta, I just woke up," I groan. "You do it." He quickly rolls up my shirt until it's just under the edge of my bra and ties it up with a rubber band. He meticulously removes my bandages and puts on my ointment. He applies fresh dressings and makes sure they're secure. "I'll get my mom to change your leg bandages," he tells me.

"Do you have some shorts I can wear?" I ask. He moves to his dresser and pulls out a pair of plaid boxers. "Really Peeta?" I giggle. He starts to put them back but I stop him. He calls to his mother from the hallway and tells her to put the boxers on me when she's finished. When she comes in, she smiles at me and we both fall into a fit of laughter about the boxers. She pulls the huge khakis off of me and she does all the needed work for my leg wound. After we have the boxers on and secured with a rubber band, she sits down on the bed. "Peeta can't stop talking about you," she says.

"He talks about me?" I ask.

"Oh yes. Katniss is so pretty, Katniss is so perfect, I wish our house had burned down instead of Katniss's," she tells me. "That's just him talking to me. With his father he talks further, saying things like; Katniss is the love of my life, one day I'll marry Katniss, and so on. And here is one he told both of us that you'll have to hear: when Katniss is staying in our home, please knock before coming into my room. I asked him why just to see his face and he said 'Mom, I'm quite fond of Katniss's kisses and in such a convenient location I don't think either of us will be able to resist.'" I gawk at the last two of her sentences.

"You're lying," I say.

"No, I'm not lying. I think Peeta will be the happiest boy on Earth if you keep kissing him like you were last night," she says matter-of-factly. I feel myself blush, remembering the sound of the door opening and the womanly gasp.

"I, um, well, I-" I stutter.

"I shouldn't have opened that door but I guess I wouldn't have if I had listened to Peeta," she says with a wry smile. "I'll let him get back to you." She steps out the door and calls to Peeta.

_That was awkward, _I think. Peeta steps in and I tell him to sit on the bed. "Your mom told me about what you said regarding not opening the door without knocking while I was here," I inform him. He blushes and I move closer to him. "I'll kiss you, Peeta. We've gone over this; you just have to ask."

"Can I kiss you _passionately_?" he asks, his blush already dying away.

"Yes," I say. "You just may wanna shut the door first." He hops up and closes the door. He comes back to the bed and sits down so he's right up against me. He draws me into his lap and I look at him. He leans forward and kisses me gently and after a moment, I pull away.

"I thought we were kissing passionately," I say. He leans forward and kisses me again, this time with more fervor. I lean heavily against him and his hands rub my upper back. My hands rake through his hair and he drops himself onto the bed so we're lying down. We move closer and I let a low moan escape my lips. Peeta soon moves to kiss my whole face, part by part. I breathe in Peeta's scent as he kisses my cheek and I feel like I'm in heaven. Then I remember it's morning and his parents will start to wonder where we are. I whisper this to Peeta and we sit up. That's when I notice a baby monitor sitting on the desk. "Why is there a baby monitor on your desk?" I ask. Peeta looks over and I see his face change from joyful to angry.

"My brother must be home," Peeta growls. Rye must be home from boarding school. _Why is that so bad?_ I think. Then it dawns on me. He put that there so he could hear every word and sound we made. I know Rye is a trouble maker but this is a little over the line. Putting a baby monitor in your little brothers' room while his girlfriend is there? That's just wrong. Peeta turns the monitor off and tells me we'll go get him in trouble after he finds me a shirt to wear. "Will this work?" he asks, holding up a red t-shirt.

"Sure. Now turn around and cover your eyes," I order. He does as he is told and I change into the shirt. I tell him it's ok to turn around and he hands me the baby monitor before picking me up. He steps out of the room and we make our way downstairs. He sets me down in a chair in the dining room where his mom is making breakfast. He holds up the baby monitor and starts to speak.

"Mom, I'm guessing Rye is home because this was on my desk. He must've known you were going to tell Katniss about what I said about knocking on the door and that rule was one to abide by when I came back in," Peeta blurts out. His mother looks from the baby monitor to him and then to me. I avert my eyes, knowing Rye will thoroughly embarrass us when he comes down.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry this took so long... **

"Oh, I'm really sorry," she says, and I can tell she means it. "He will be punished right now." She turns toward the stairs and starts yelling. "Rye Mellark, get down here this instant!" I pull Peeta's arm and ask him to sit beside me because I'm not sure I can take being made fun of after all that has happened recently. He sits down and pulls me onto his knee, sensing my feelings. Rye comes into the kitchen with an amused and satisfied grin on his face. Peeta glares at him and the taunting begins. "Can I kiss you passionately?" he jeers in a sing-song voice. "Yeah, you might wanna shut the door first." Before I know it, I'm on my feet lunging toward Rye, despite the pain in my leg. It feels as if a metal rod is being shoved through it. Peeta grabs me and sits me down in a chair. He sees the agonized look on my face and he becomes angry and I know all of his anger is directed toward Rye. His anger turns into lividness and then he is the one lunging at his brother. He punches him squarely in the jaw and then (he was given a brief update by ) grabs Rye from behind. Peeta is at my side instantly, and his worry becomes worse when he sees my pain hasn't lessened.

I turn my attention to . He is fuming and begins to tell Rye off. "Do you know what that girl has been through? Her father died in the mines and her mother was silent for 2 years after that. She practically starved so her little sister and mother could eat. Her house just burned down and she suffered serious injuries so her family could walk away unscathed. She can barely walk and every time she stands she's tortured. She doesn't need to be mocked. Peeta is doing the best he can to make her happy and you just go out and ruin it. Think about how your actions will affect others, Rye. Don't be a thoughtless fool." Rye looks good and sullen but I'm still angry. I look back at Peeta and bite my lip, trying not to cry out from the pain in my leg. hurries over when she sees my pained face. "She hurt her leg," Peeta tells her. She looks at him and crouches down beside me, in the same position as Peeta.

"Can you go get Katniss's painkillers?" Peeta asks his father. He nods and hurries in the direction of the stairs.

"What's wrong with her?" Rye asks quietly.

"She hurt her leg when she lunged at you," Peeta whispers with a faraway look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Rye says. Peeta looks at me and sees the tears in my eyes.

"Rye, be quiet. It hurts really badly," Peeta orders. Rye is instantaneously silent and appears with the pills. He fills a glass with water and I quickly swallow the capsule.

"We need to get her upstairs," Peeta says. I nod and Peeta picks me up. I feel a tear slide down my face and force myself not to let anymore fall. We step into the bedroom and Peeta gently sets me on the bed. He quickly shuts the door. "I'm sorry, Kat," he says quietly, looking down. I tug him onto the bed and look him in the eye.

"It's not your fault. I need you to be here for me and you can't mope," I tell him firmly. "Are you going to try and make me happy or not?" The painkillers were kicking in and I wanted to at least try and cheer up.

"How am I supposed to make you happy?" he asks with a cheeky grin.

"First, come here," I say. Peeta leans forward and I kiss him while my fingers move to the hem of his shirt and start to slide it upward. Peeta puts his arms around my waist and I continue to move his shirt steadily up and once it's at his shoulders I slowly pull away. He looks down at his chest and I whip the shirt over his head.

"Devious," he murmurs, lightly rubbing the crown of my head. I run my hands across his bare chest and he leans down to kiss me. I feel his lips press against mine and I feel in high spirits. "Do you want to pick up where we left off?" Peeta asks. I nod and Peeta pulls me toward him. He kisses my lips and we let it linger. He holds me against him and I feel his hands caress the upper part of my back. My fingers rub his shoulders and we finally let our lips break apart. "You want to watch a movie?" Peeta asks.

"What are we watching?" I question.

"Tuck Everlasting?"

"I love that movie!" Peeta just chuckles and puts the DVD into his computer. He moves back and lies down beside me. He holds out his arm and I nestle into his side. We watch the whole movie and decide to take a nap. A knock on the door startles us. "Who is it?" Peeta calls, pulling his shirt over his head.

"It's Rye," the voice says. Peeta moves back to me and pulls me into the crook of his arm.

"Come in," Peeta sighs. Rye steps in and sits on the other bed. We sit in silence until Peeta speaks. "Spit it out! What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say I was sorry for earlier," Rye mumbles, staring at the floor.

"We accept your apology. Now get out," Peeta snarls. Rye stands up and looks at me curled up beside Peeta. He then walks out, dragging his feet. Peeta shuts the door behind him and we take a nap until dinnertime.

Someone knocks on the door and says it's time for dinner. Peeta and I groan and sit up.

"Peeta, you go eat. I don't want you to have to carry me," I say.

"You're coming downstairs and I'm carrying you," Peeta insists. We go downstairs and take our seats. We eat our food and Peeta asks if I want to go for a drive. I accept his offer and he carries me to the car. "I should be able to walk soon," I tell Peeta.

"Don't worry about it," he says. He sets me in my seat and jogs to the driver's side. He hops in and we begin to drive. We stop near the meadow, just as the sun starts to set. Peeta gets out and opens my door. I decide to try to hop on my good leg while Peeta supports my other side. We do this for about 20 feet until we're in a nice spot. Peeta helps me sit and then drops down beside me. We lay in the grass, watching the sunset. Just before it's completely dark, we move to the car and drive home.

1 month later

I wake up to find Peeta still sleeping. I remember it's Saturday and I'm glad I don't have to go to school. In the 2 weeks I've been back in school, Peeta and I have gotten a lot of odd looks. I've healed well but some days I have to walk with a cane and Peeta is always by my side. He even got his schedule changed so he could help me throughout the day. My back is still in a fair amount of pain and I put most of my weight on my uninjured leg.

Yesterday, Peeta said we were going to do something special today. I can't wait to find out what it is but I don't want to wake Peeta up. I start to curl up into a ball when he shifts. "Good morning beautiful," Peeta says. He never calls me by my name when we wake up. It's always something about me being gorgeous or beautiful.

"Good morning," I say, stretching out my arms.

"How'd you sleep?" he asks.

"I slept fine. How about you?" I reply.

"Never better," he tells me. I notice his arms are still locked on my waist like they were last night.

"So, when are we going to do our special thing?" I question.

"Ah, yes. We'll leave within the next 2 hours," he answers. I curl up against Peeta as he pulls me closer. I feel his warm breath on my face and a feeling of serenity takes over me. We sit like this until Peeta abruptly jumps up, yanking me with him. He steadies me and grabs a shirt from his dresser. I walk to the bathroom and change. I speedily braid my hair and walk back to Peeta's room. He has on a black t-shirt and some dark wash jeans. "Where are we going?" I ask.

"You don't like the clothes you got, right?" he queries, deflecting my question.

"Well, some of them are okay but they're kind of, you know, girlish," I answer sheepishly.

"There was some money left over and we're going to go buy some clothes that you actually like," he tells me.

"No, we can use that for Prim. She cou-" he cuts me off and I should have known he would have some contradiction.

"I made sure Prim had plenty of clothes," he reassures me.

"Fine," I groan. We jog down the stairs and tell his mom we're heading out. We get some breakfast from McDonalds and park in the parking lot of the mall. Peeta forces me out and drags me inside. He pulls me into the sporting goods store. "You know me so well," I say. Peeta just chuckles and we move to the hunting section. He holds up a camouflage t-shirt and cocks an eyebrow. I nod and he sets it in our shopping basket. I tug him toward the archery area so I can get a look at some of the nicer bows. "You need a new bow?" Peeta questions.

"Well, my dad gave me my old one so I don't know if I'm emotionally ready for one yet," I say, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"I'm sorry, Kat," he says.

"It's fine," I tell him, turning away from the bows. "Where to now?"

"Let's pay and then go to a different store to find you a jacket," he suggests. I bob my head and we pay for the shirt and start toward the exit to find some cheap shirts and a new jacket. By lunchtime, Peeta and I have gotten me 6 shirts and a jacket. We step into the car and I breathe a sigh of relief. Peeta laughs and I playfully punch his arm. He kisses my forehead and we drive to his house.

We walk in and jog up the stairs. I sit down on my bed and set my head on my pillows. Peeta sits down beside me and kisses my cheek. Someone knocks on the door and I jump. "Come in," Peeta calls. Prim steps in with a victorious grin on her face. She comes over and gives me a hug. "Hey Prim," I greet her. "What's up?"

"I have news," she says, her grin becoming brighter. "Mom found us a house! Our new furniture should be there by next week!"

"That's great!" I squeal, picking her up and spinning her around. "Now, go back to the Hawthornes'. I'll see you later." She hurries out the door and I plunk down on the bed beside Peeta, my happiness quickly fading. "What's wrong?" Peeta asks, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Aren't you happy?"

"Yeah," I mumble, staring at the ground. "I'm not trying to be ungrateful but I'll miss staying with you and I'm scared the nightmares will come more frequently."

"Just think happy thoughts," he murmurs, leaning down so his face is level with mine.

"I know, but sometimes even that can't hold them back," I whisper. Peeta presses his forehead against mine and I look into his breathtaking blue eyes. He leans forward to kiss me and I move upward to meet his lips. They softly press against mine and we let the kiss linger. Peeta pulls me into his lap and wraps his arms around my petite frame. I let my hands settle in his hair and my fears are momentarily gone. We pull away slowly and Peeta looks into my eyes. "I love you," he whispers.

"I love you, too," I murmur. I move so Peeta and I are facing the same direction and I lean backward, his body completely supporting mine. He wraps his sturdy arms around me, his hands settling on my stomach. I wrap us in a blanket and we sit there in a peaceful silence. This is one of those times I can fall asleep without nightmares and I do just that.


	7. Chapter 7

I wake up to Peeta pressing his lips against mine in a gentle kiss. "Why are you kissing me when I'm asleep?" I mumble.

"I needed to wake you up but I also wanted to kiss you," he tells me.

"Why are we awake?" I ask.

"Dinner," he notifies me. I groan and pull myself up. I stretch and as my arms are raised in the air, Peeta grabs my waist and picks me up. "Peeta!" I squeal. He sets me down and again we're facing the same direction. His arms pull me into him and he moves his head to my shoulder. As he exhales, I feel his warm breath on my neck.

"Yes?" he responds, as if his name had just been called in a normal context. I twist my head around and give him a peck on the lips. I turn around so I'm facing him.

"You should carry me downstairs," I suggest. He laughs and picks me up. We move down the stairs and Peeta sets me down on the last step. We walk into the dining room and sit down. Peeta's mom steps in and sets the dinner of chicken and rice on the table. Peeta's father comes in and dinner begins.

"I hear you'll be going home soon," says, looking up from her plate.

"Next week," I confirm, trying to seem like I have a neutral opinion on the matter.

"Well, we'll miss having you here," she says.

"I'll miss you guys, too," I murmur.

"Let's talk about something different," Peeta proposes.

"I hear you're good with a bow," says, half statement, half question.

"Yeah but I couldn't get my bow out of our house," I tell him. "It was in our storage room which was downstairs towards the back of the house. My father made it but I'm going to see if his old one is still in the woods."

"What did you use your bow for?" asks.

"When Mom went into her depression, I used it to hunt for food and I sold some of the game for money to take care of Prim." Everyone is quiet and looks down.

"We went to the mall today," Peeta informs his parents, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Did you have a good time?" asks. We nod and the silence returns. Peeta and I finish our food quickly and walk upstairs. When we shut the door, Peeta pulls me into a tight hug and holds me close. "I'm sorry," he whispers.

"You can't control conversation or lack thereof," I say. He sits on the bed and I sit in his lap, leaning profoundly on his chest. "I'm used to it from Mom's silence and the stints of silence that come every time me or Prim say something wrong. I'm normally the one to say something wrong because she favors Prim. It's quite depressing when I'm the one who kept her and her precious daughter alive but I love Prim all the same. I'm just glad I have you and your kindness to Prim." He puts his forehead against mine and looks intently into my eyes.

"Though I'm fond of your sister, the main reason I'm nice to her is you," he says softly. I search his stunning azure eyes and I know he is telling the truth. I suddenly press my lips against his and I feel his grip on my waist become as solid as iron. As we pull away, I'm about to speak when Peeta says something that makes me the happiest girl in the world. "You know Katniss, I believe I'm in love with you," he tells me. "Actually, I don't just believe it; I know it to be true with all my heart. I'm in love with Katniss Everdeen."

"And I know wholeheartedly that I'm in love with Peeta Mellark," I say. He kisses me again and that's when I remember something: that day when Mom was still in her silence and I was starving. I was sitting under a tree behind the bakery and it was pouring rain. Peeta had seen me there and had thrown me some burnt bread. Yeah, it was burnt but it was bread! Bread is food and I was eternally grateful. This had just deepened my feelings for him and I had never thanked him. "Thanks for the bread, Peeta," I whisper.

"What bread?" he asks, looking at me in confusion.

"When I was starving you threw me burnt bread," I say, trying to make him remember.

"Oh, I remember! I had burnt some bread and I was going to give it to the pigs but I saw you sitting under the tree, soaked to the bone, starving," he recollects. The scene flashes before my eyes and I clutch Peeta's arms. "I'm sorry, Kat. I shouldn't have gone into such detail." He holds me tighter and slowly rocks me back and forth. "I love you," he murmurs.

"I love you, too," I murmur back. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. I hear Peeta sigh happily and he starts to lightly rub my back. He presses a feather-light kiss to my forehead and I look up at him. We stare at each other for a moment and then we move toward each other. Peeta kisses me but this is no quick peck on the lips. His arms lift me up to him and my arms wrap around his neck. I feel his arms holding me securely and I feel safe. We slowly move our lips apart but our bodies stay pressed together. Peeta maneuvers us so we're lying down and covers us in the big quilt that lies on the bed. "Goodnight," Peeta whispers.

"Goodnight," I murmur, curling up against him. I doze off but I have an extremely terrifying nightmare.

_I wake up in the middle of the night and find myself in a cold sweat. I swing my legs over and put my foot down on a floorboard. The board disappears but as I look to where it used to be I see something that resembles the descriptions I've heard of the burning fires of Hell. I jump up in surprise and the same happens to the parts of the floor my feet touch. I jump away just in time but I have to skip across the room so I don't fall in. I hop onto my bed but it's only solid for a moment; I feel myself start to plummet and as I'm falling, I look up. I see Peeta and my father standing side by side, looking down on me. Their usually compassionate faces are emotionless and I feel utterly alone as the fire around me burns my body until I'm a ball of fire._

I awake with a start and feel Peeta's hold on me tighten. "It's ok, Kat. You'll be fine. Shh, calm down. I'm right here." The last sentence comforts me the most and I hold Peeta tightly. One of his hands move to cup my cheek and with the moonlight coming from the window, I can see him staring into my eyes. I stare back and Peeta pulls my head to his chest and kisses my temple. I get to sleep after an hour or two and that sleep has no nightmares.

I wake up to find Peeta staring at me. "How long have you been staring?" I ask.

"Awhile," he answers. "I really wanted to wake you up but I know last night wasn't the most restful night." I hold my arms out to him and he pulls me up. I give him a quick kiss and he begins to fiddle with the end of my braid. "Can I take this out?" he asks, touching the hair tie. I groan but nod and he carefully pulls my hair out of the braid. He runs his fingers through it and soon there is not a single tangle.

"What's with you and my hair and eyes?" I question.

"They're yours so of course I'm fascinated with them," he says.

"Stop with the cheesiness," I order.

"It's not cheesy; it's romantic," he defends.

"Romantic? Come on, Peeta. I'm getting a cheesiness overload," I last.

"You know you like it," he says with a laugh. "And you can't resist romance from your lover, can you?" He knows my main weaknesses; him and Prim.

"Lover? No one uses that word anymore," I say. "But no, I can't resist _romance_ from you." I put air quotes around the word "romance".

"What do you want to do?" he asks. "Do you want to go to the woods?" I nod and stand up. I go to Peeta's dresser and open up the top drawer that holds my clothes. I pull out a sky blue tank top and some jeans. "You're wearing jeans?" Peeta questions.

"I don't have any shorts, moron," I say. He reaches under the bed and pulls out a pair of jean shorts that look like they'll go about mid-thigh on me. They're faded but it looks like that was done by the manufacturer.

"Peeta, why do you have those?" I laugh, staring at the shorts.

"I may or may not have bought these while you went shopping with our mothers and Prim," he says with a small element of shyness.

"Those are a bit short, babe," I say doubtfully. Peeta throws them to me and I can tell he is aware of this.

"Just try them! For me," he says, knowing I'll do anything if he says "for me". I walk to the bathroom and change my shirt then try the shorts on. They actually fit me and I was right about them going to about mid-thigh, though they don't look too short. My burn scars show but I don't really care. I quickly comb my hair but I leave it down because I know that's how Peeta likes it. I walk into his room and I see he has his shirt off but he makes no effort to hide his bare chest from view. "I assume you're wearing them then?" he queries with a raised eyebrow.

"I guess," I sigh, looking down as I fiddle with the hem of the shorts. Peeta walks over and sets his forehead against mine, forcing me to look into his eyes. He kisses me and when he pulls back he has a look on his face that's telling me I don't have to wear the shorts if I don't want to. Abruptly, I jump into Peeta's arms and wrap my own around his neck, hugging him tightly. He understands how easily I can become sad for no apparent reason and holds me against him. He picks me up and sits down on the bed, slowly swaying me in his lap. "What can I do to make you happy?" he whispers.

"Let's just get to the woods," I murmur. Peeta stands up, throws a shirt on, and carries me down the stairs. He grabs a basket and I begin to wonder if he had planned on going to the woods with me prior to this morning. We step outside and Peeta asks if it's alright to set me down now. I nod and as Peeta sets me down, he intertwines our fingers. We walk to the edge of town and I'm glad when I see the thick line of trees that is the woods. Peeta continues to walk and I'm just following his lead. He stops by what seems to be a random tree and we sit down. Peeta pulls me into his lap and looks at me worriedly. "How can I make you happy?" he asks again.

"I don't know," I mutter.

"Will you be happier if I kiss you?" he questions with a little grin. This makes me smile and in that same instant, I press my lips to Peeta's and kiss him. I can tell Peeta is happy that I smiled and I'm starting to feel better.

"Well, well, well," a voice from behind me says. I jump up and whip around to see my cousin Gale.

"What do you want Gale?" I growl. He and I had been good friends until he had almost killed me by throwing a knife at my chest and I can assure you it was on purpose. Gale has also never liked Peeta.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see what you were up to with the baker's boy. By the way, nice burn scars," he says. I move so I'm forming a protective shield over Peeta, who is now standing up behind me.

"How did you know we'd be here, Hawthorne?" I snarl.

"I assured his parents I was a dear friend of his and they told me you two lovebirds had gone out in the woods," he responds. "I thought you'd find someone better than this wimp, Catnip." This makes me furious. I lunge at Gale and now Peeta is a millisecond too late to hold me back. Gale tries to block me but my fighting skills have improved since our childhood games. I sock him in the gut and he falls to the ground but Peeta's strong arms grab me and pull me to him before I can do anymore damage. I see Gale stagger up and lunge at me but Peeta spins around, using himself as a shield. Gale thuds against Peeta and Peeta stumbles forward a step before regaining his balance. He looks at me as if to ask if I'm okay and I nod my head and turn my attention back to Gale. He's standing again, breathing heavily. His eyes are full of fire and rage and I know he's about to do something he's going to regret. Gale's fist flies toward Peeta's face but Peeta catches it and twists Gale's arms behind his back. He throws Gale to the ground just hard enough to knock the breath out of him. Peeta takes my hand and we dash out of the woods, only stopping at the tree line.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, updates will be like every 3-4 days from now on. Sorry this is so short.**

Here, Peeta hugs me tightly and gently kisses my cheek. "I'm so sorry, Katniss," he whispers.

"Again, not your fault. Gale thinks he has power over me because he almost killed me just before my father died," I tell him.

"My parents told him we were here and now our day is ruined because of it," he murmurs.

"How were they supposed to know? Besides, we get the house to ourselves since they're at the bakery. I also got to punch Gale so I'm feeling better," I say, my spirits starting to rise. We walk back to the house in silence and walk up to Peeta's room. I open the blinds and plop down on the bed. Peeta is about to sit on the other bed when I motion for him to come lay with me. I tug him onto the bed so he is right next to me. "We need to do something fun," I say.

"Hmm. We can watch scary movies," he suggests. I hate scary movies because they frighten me and I get nightmares quite easily. But maybe if Peeta was there…

"I don't like scary movies," I tell him.

"I'll be right here and then I'll have an excuse to hold you and kiss you," he says.

"Okay," I say uneasily. He kisses my forehead and puts a movie in his computer. When the girl in the movie is taken into the spider monster's web, I scream. Peeta turns me to face him and gives me a peck on the lips. As I'm about to put my head on Peeta's chest, I hear the noise from the movie cease. I ask Peeta why he turned it off and he stares at me. "I just thought I may want to kiss you again so I wanted it to be a bit more… quiet." I smile at Peeta and he leans down to kiss me. His lips lock onto mine and I grasp his arms. They are bolted on my waist and he holds me close. I feel his warm body against mine and any element of sadness that remained inside me vanishes. Peeta's hands start to wander around my back and mine rub the top of his back. Peeta leans against the wall and I pull away a little. We grin at each other and then start laughing. "Question," I get out, trying to stop my laughter. "Why are we laughing?"

"I'm not sure," Peeta says with a comical expression. Again, we start to laugh.

"Okay, let's calm down," I breathe, out of breath from the fit of laughter. Peeta and I catch our breath and Peeta stands up.

"It's hot in here," he says.

"It is pretty warm," I agree. Peeta pulls his shirt over his head and lets it drop to the ground. He laughs as I stare.

"Kat, you've seen me with my shirt off before. What's so different about now?" I blush and shrug my shoulders. Peeta walks over to me and, using his pointer finger, tilts my head back so I have to look at his face. "Katniss, please don't be nervous around me," he pleads.

"I'm not nervous, I just…I don't know," I respond, frustrated with myself for not knowing what to say. Peeta moves to get his shirt but I catch his wrist and pull him back to me. I slide off the bed and hug him tightly. His arms slide around me and hold me close. "I'm sorry, Peeta," I whisper.

"You didn't do anything," he says. I feel him lift me up and I find myself being held bridal style. We sit on the bed with me in Peeta's lap and he begins to kiss me. He starts with my forehead and moves to my brow and then to my temples. He kisses my nose and both of my cheeks and he's finally at my lips. His lips press against mine with more fervor than ever before. My mouth opens slightly against his and I hear a happy noise escape him. I feel his fingers trace my shoulder blades and mine run through his hair. Suddenly, the door flies open and someone stumbles in. My head snaps around and I see a terror-stricken Prim gasping for breath. Jumping up, I grab her shoulders to keep her steady while Peeta pulls his shirt over his head. "Prim, what's wrong?" I ask.

"Gale," she pants. "He's furious. He said something about you and Peeta." Peeta and I exchange worried looks.

"Peeta, where can Prim, Rory, Vick and Posy go while we're at the Hawthornes'?" I whisper in his ear.

"They can go to the bakery," he tells me. I give him a questioning look and he just nods, pulling out his phone and dialing his mom. I kneel down in front of Prim, taking her hands.

"Prim, you and Rory have to take Vick and Posy back to the bakery. One of Peeta's parents will be waiting for you there. We'll come get you after we settle everything." Her delicate hands begin to tremble.

"Katniss, what's happening?" she asks shakily.

"Well…" I don't know how to explain it to her. "Gale is having some emotional issues so we have to help him." That's true enough. I give her hand a reassuring squeeze and stand up. I go to the closet and pull out the knife our old neighbor Sae gave me about a week ago. _"Your father gave me this to keep in case anything happened to him. He said to give it to_ _you when I thought you were ready. You're ready now, Katniss." _She had said. It has a worn out brown leather cover that hangs on my belt. Sliding it onto my belt, I see Prim's terrified expression and Peeta asks me what it's for. "Just in case," I tell him. Taking Prim's hand, I start toward the door with Peeta following me.

"My dad will meet them outside," Peeta informs me as we step outside. I grab my own phone and begin to dial my mother. I tell her to send the children out and that we'll be there soon. Peeta interlaces our fingers and we begin to run toward the destination. We would've taken Peeta's car but it's out of gas. The three youngest Hawthorne children come into view and we begin to slow. Rory drags his siblings towards us and I can see something unusual in his eyes; fear. I guess Gale is worse than I thought. Prim takes Posy's hand, Posy takes Vick's hand, and Vick takes Rory's hand. I wave them toward the bakery and they begin to jog unevenly, slowed by the odd combination of leg sizes.

I swing open the front door of the Hawthorne home to find a rampaging Gale. He stomps around, knocking down everything in his path. I see the mothers standing by the sink, watching wide-eyed. "Gale!" I shout. He looks at me and his eyes narrow.

"I could kill you, you know!" he screams. "You could never beat me in a fight." That's when I notice the knife on the back of his belt. I push mine back before he can see it.

"You want to bet?" I challenge.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok , this is said in the next chapter but I'll tell you now, too. Gale has posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of his father's death and this is the cause of his violent actions.**

"Katniss, he has a knife!" Peeta whispers urgently. "And he's like twice your size!"

"I have a knife, too." Abruptly, Gale lunges at me. I swiftly duck under his arm before he jumps on me. We tumble across the floor like two battling cats and before I know it we're out the door. I quickly break free and lithely roll back into a standing position, leaving Gale one step behind me. As he's about to stand, I force him back to the ground with my foot. He struggles but can't stand. That's when he grabs my ankle and slams me back onto the hard earth. A kick to my ribs makes my anger flare. I force myself up and Gale gets a solid punch to the jaw, knocking his head back. People are watching now; staring in awe as the girl on fire fights the hulking future coal miner. Before he regains his senses, I punch Gale in the gut and he crashes to the ground. He starts to thrash in his effort to stand and I sigh, wondering why he won't stop when he it's clear that I have the upper hand. "Gale, I don't want to hurt you any more than I have to," I warn. He doesn't change his movements so I shake my head and prepare to kick his gut, only hard enough to make him know that he can't win now. As soon as foot meets flesh, Gale stops moving. Everyone around me gasps and I grab his shoulders, pulling him into a sitting position.

Peeta appears with a wooden chair and helps me haul Gale into it. Gale groans and I wave my mother over so she can see if he's injured. She scurries up to him and pulls up his shirt, revealing a red spot that will bruise and be fine after a while. "Katniss, let me check you," my mother says. I hold my hands up and back away.

"No, Mom, I'm fine," I tell her, even though I know I'm not due to the pain coming from my gut.

"Kat, she needs to look," Peeta insists. I glance at him and then begin to run away. I hear him running behind me and I feel myself gasping, trying to take in air. "Katniss, come back!" he yells. It isn't him I'm running from; it's my mother and all those people. All those people who worried over my mother and Prim during the fire and didn't even remember me. All those people who dote on my family but don't spare me more than a glance. I know I can't keep this up much longer but I have to get away.

Before I know it, I've crumpled to the ground and Peeta is leaning over me with Haymitch beside him instantly. Haymitch, the one person who remembered me during the fire. Haymitch, the one person other than Peeta who thought I was a hero for saving my family. "Why did you run?" someone in the crowd asks.

"Because of you people," I say, standing up and pointing at them accusingly. "When the house burned down, you didn't care about me. You didn't look at me until I screamed in pain. Haymitch is the only one who did."

"This girl is a hero!" Haymitch tells them. "She pushed her family out and suffered serious injuries while you didn't even notice her. She fed her family and took care of them while all of you stood by and watched. _You_. You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"What about you, Haymitch?" someone yells. "Did _you_ help feed her family?"

"He did what her could for us!" I scream. "He gave us what food he could and tried to get _her_ to speak and come out of her own little world." My finger juts in the direction of my mother but all I get in response are murmurs defending her. Peeta puts his arms around me from behind and pulls me into him.

"Can't you people see?" he asks. They all look up, surprised to see someone of good class defending me. "She's gone through so much and you're all just blind to it! Her father died, her family nearly starved, and her house burned down. She just had to fight a guy twice her size to keep people safe from his rage. Katniss could very well have broken ribs!" They're shocked when they see he knows my name and that's when they notice his hold on me. Mouths hang open and people gawk everywhere, eyes fixated on his strong arms wrapped around me. He kisses my cheek and a few people laugh out loud, disbelieving. All noise ceases when they notice my icy glare.

"Thank you for your consideration," I say, turning on my heel and walking in the general direction of the bakery. Peeta and Haymitch follow, both looking frustrated, annoyed and angry. Peeta interlaces our fingers and tugs me toward him. I try not to lean into him but I have to. My stomach is really hurting. I hope I don't have broken ribs like Peeta said. "Hey," he whispers gently. "Are you okay?" I start to nod but, knowing this is pointless, shake my head. "Haymitch, I think we should take Katniss to the doctor."

"Alright, sweetheart. You two lovebirds wait here while I get my car," Haymitch orders. We both nod and Haymitch walks off, gravel grinding under his feet. Peeta sits down in a grassy patch and pulls me into his lap. I lean against him and my fingers trace the blemishes across my leg while his draw circles on my arm.

Before we know it, Haymitch is back. Peeta carefully lifts me up and we sit in the backseat. He interlaces our fingers and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Aw, isn't that sweet?" Haymitch jokes, a smile taking over his face. My glare just makes him chuckle and turn back to face the front. We drive to the nearest doctor's office and once the car is parked we all get out. As we walk in the door, I feel people staring at me and I wonder why. _The fire. They know you from the fire. _I guess the fire probably made the papers so people know. Haymitch walks up to the counter and tells them it's urgent. We're led into a room and I'm told to sit on the bed that's covered with crinkly tissue paper. Just as the person who brought us in leaves, the man I expect is the doctor rushes in. "What happened to her now?" he questions. I gesture for Peeta and Haymitch to tell him.

"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Peeta asks.

"You can tell me the long version while I examine her. Where does it hurt?" I point at my stomach and he carefully rolls up my shirt like we used to do when changing my bandages.

"Katniss and I were sitting in the woods today when Gale Hawthorne came up. My parents told him where we were, not knowing his intent. He wouldn't go away and kept messing with us so Katniss punched him." The doctor raises his eyebrows and I nod. "He fell and tried to punch her but ended up thumping me in the back. He tried to punch me but I caught it and pushed him to the ground. We ran out of the woods and walked back to my house. After a while there, Prim burst in and told us Gale was on some sort of rampage. We ran to the Hawthorne home and sent the kids to the bakery."

"The kids," I gasp. "We forgot them. Haymitch, go get them." Surprisingly, Haymitch just nods and steps out with no protest.

"Anyway, we walked in and Gale was moving through the house like a tornado. When Katniss got his attention, he lunged at her but she ducked under his arm. Then he jumped on her and they rolled outside. Katniss disentangled herself from him and got him back to the ground. He grabbed her ankle and pulled her down and kicked her gut. She stood up and socked him in the gut and he fell. He started struggling to get up and Katniss told him she didn't want to hurt him any more than she had to. He continued so Katniss kicked his gut just enough to stop him. We put him in a chair and he just had some minor bruising. Katniss's mom wanted to check her but she ran away. Then there was this whole thing about the fire and all Katniss has been through and when we were walking away I asked her if she was okay. She started to nod but ended up shaking her head. I told Haymitch we should take her to a doctor and while he went to get his car we sat on the grass and waited. He was back after a few minutes and we got in and came here." By this time, the doctor seems uninterested in the story. He presses his finger lightly against one of my lower ribs and I gasp in pain.

"It seems to be only minor rib bruising but I'd like to do an x-ray," the doctor tells us. "I'll drive you two to the hospital." We both nod and the doctor leads us out and to his car.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm really sorry this took so long and is so short but I lost internet for a while and I couldn't charge my computer because I also lost power.**

After we're home from the hospital, we know my only injury is bruised ribs. It hurts whenever I bend the wrong way or sit in the wrong position. We also found out that Gale has posttraumatic stress disorder because of the death of his father. It comes in episodes like this one so he'll be on medicine. I'm glad I didn't get that. It would've been pure Hell. I still wonder why he threw that knife…

Right now, I'm sitting on my bed with Peeta beside me. I stare blankly ahead, thinking about my life. Peeta waves a hand in front of my face. "You okay, baby?" he asks.

"I don't know," I confess. "My life has been chaos ever since my father died. All except for you."

"What about Prim? You have her," he reminds me.

"Yeah, but she's only twelve. I can't exactly confide all my feelings in a twelve year old," I reason.

"Well, I'll do better than my best to make you happy," he promises.

"Peeta, you don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do. And I don't mind anyway." He gently kisses my cheek and intertwines our fingers.

"I love you, Peeta."

"I love you, too." I lean against his arm and rest my head on his shoulder. "Can you believe this day? We were perfectly happy in the woods then Gale showed up. Then everything just came crashing down around us."

"That's the story of my life," I sigh.

"Sorry, Kat. I didn't mean it like that."

"No, it's fine. I'm just bound for bad luck. You don't have to stay with me. I mean, all the bad luck is just making stuff harder for you."

"Katniss, you know I could never leave you!" His arm carefully snakes around me in a protective manner. I inwardly smile but decide to play a little game

"Really?" I ask hopefully. Peeta looks down at me and smiles.

"Really. And I know you didn't have to ask that."

"How did you know?" I laugh.

"You're eyes would be all shiny if you were hopeful," he explains.

"You and my eyes," I mutter. He just chuckles and kisses my head. "Peeta, did the fire make the papers?" He nods and stands up, going to the closet and coming back with a newspaper. My jaw hangs open as I unfold it and look at the front page. There's a picture of me right after I stepped from the house; my shirt is flaming, my eyes are like those of a feral cat, and my Mom and Prim are watching with wide eyes. The article is titled _The Girl on Fire_.

It reads:

_Katniss Everdeen, 18, is pictured here just after she escaped her burning home. Her mother and younger sister, Primrose, are the two in the background and they were pushed out by Katniss. Everdeen suffered serious injuries including slight burns to her left wrist, second degree burns to her right leg, third degree burns to her back, and severe bruising also to her back. Her father died in a mining accident 5 years ago and her mother says that her life has been hard since then and Katniss has kept the family together. Haymitch Abernathy, a neighbor of the Everdeen family, says Katniss has hardened since her father's death. "She never smiles, only says a few polite words to people at the market, she's snippy when she talks to me because I've known her since she was a baby, and I don't think she's cried since her father died. There's a stone wall around her heart that only a few can penetrate. Even her relationship with her mother is broken. She spends her summers and weekends in the woods shooting that bow of hers, climbing trees, and sitting in the woods. Poor girl never even got to finish childhood," Abernathy said. _The man pities me. Darn him. But all of that _is_ true. _It's been stated she has no friends except for Peeta Mellark, the youngest of the baker's sons. This may be due to her sullen and hostile attitude, though Mellark says she's different underneath. Primrose says her sister doesn't leave much room in her heart for anything. "Seven eighths of Katniss's heart is pure stone and that little one eighth is where she keeps me, our father's memory, Peeta, the woods, and her bow. I guess Gale used to be there, too, but not anymore." _

_ When Katniss woke up after the fire, the first thing she asked was 'Are Prim and Mom okay?' The family lost everything in the fire._

"What's with all this crap about my heart?"

"I don't know. I just said you put up a wall so you wouldn't get hurt."

"Whatever. I don't need anyone's pity. I hate it." Peeta remains silent, probably in an effort to not make me angry. He knows how fiercely independent I am and he respects that.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sorry this took so long and that's it's so short. I didn't edit this very much so it's not the greatest. Also, I'm putting this story on pause for a while because I have no inspiration. I might put short chapters like this up about once a week but I'm not sure. **

I shove my phone in my pocket and see Gale smiling, a rare sight.

"So is that a normal thing now?" I ask.

"What?"

"Smiling."

"No. This is the first time I've smiled in a while. Do you still carry that picture?" I pull the picture of my father from my pocket, the one that never leaves me, and Gale does the same, except his is of his father. They were brothers and the resemblance was obvious, just like between us. We each stare at our pictures for a moment before putting them back and forcing down the memories. Now we're both wearing straight faces, just like old times. "Catnip, do you remember that time we tried to hunt by ourselves when you were like seven?" I chuckle, recalling the event. We wanted to be like our fathers and we were trying to make them proud. I had my little bow and so did Gale and we'd been in the woods for hours. Then Gale's father found us and hauled us back to my house where he and my father yelled as us, saying we could've gotten lost and that they were worried sick.

"Life is so complicated now," I mutter. "So, do you still live with your mom?"

"No; I have a little place down the road from her."

"So you never left the Seam? How come?"

"I don't know. I don't think I ever could." The only reason I've been able to live away from the Seam is Peeta. I mean, most of my memories with my dad are either there or where we are now; the woods.

"Gale, what's today?"

"Monday."

"I have school!"

"You can miss a day."

"Whatever." I check the month and day on my phone and freeze.

"What's wrong, Catnip?" I turn the phone toward him and his expression turns grim. Tomorrow is the anniversary of our fathers' deaths. We start moving again and soon reach the edge of the woods. We hurry through the Seam and into town, finally making it to the Mellark residence. My ribs are aching and I watch as Gale raps on the door. Seconds later, the door opens and the baker is there.

"He's gone," he says quietly.

"He's what?" I cry.

"I thought he was still in his room but when I went up to check on him a few minutes ago he wasn't there."

"Do you have any idea where he is?" Gale asks.

"No. His car is missing, too." Where could Peeta be? There's no where I could think of him going. Unless…

"Do you think he could've gone to see Wheaton?" I query, wondering how long it's been since Peeta's seen his eldest brother.

"That's a possibility. Gale, do you have a car?" Gale nods. " and I will stay here in case he comes back and you two can go up to Wheaton's. Let me go get the address." He opens the door wider and we step inside while he hurries in the direction of the kitchen. I hear him speak and I figure he's on the phone. "Just call me if he comes their!" he sighs, clearly exasperated. He comes back with a slip of paper and hands it to me. "I'll contact you if Peeta arrives at Wheaton's place." Gale and I step out and he leads me back to the Seam. We get to a small house and he takes a set of keys from his pocket, unlocking the car in the driveway and hopping into the driver's seat. I get into the passenger and he pulls out, taking the shortcut that skirts around town and getting on the highway. With each passing second I become more and more anxious and guilt-ridden. After about half an hour, calls us saying that Peeta should have been at his brother's by now so we're to head back. Gale gets ticked off and turns around, taking Peeta's number from my phone and calling him. When no one picks up, he leaves a message.

"Listen, Mellark, this is Gale and I'm not having a spell or anything. You really need to come home, wherever you are. I know you and Katniss had a fight or whatever but tomorrow is the anniversary of our fathers' deaths and she needs you. Just…hurry up and get back here." Then he hangs up and drops his phone in the center console, flustered.


End file.
